Generation Rain Retreat Draws Nearly 200 Youth

Generation Rain brings youth from the different regions of the conference annually, allowing for new connections to be made. "My favorite thing has always been the worships because I've always loved singing and discovering new songs to listen to later," says Elizabeth Perez, a youth group member from Hagerstown (Md.) Spanish church. On February 21-23, about 200 young adults gathered together at Highland View Academy (Hagerstown, Md.) for the Generation Rain weekend retreat. John Gonzales, youth pastor at Edinburgh Seventh-day Adventist Church (Tx.) and featured speaker for the weekend, lead the sabbath church service with a message about God's love for everyone. "We were enemies of God yet He came and died for us on our behalf," says John Gonzales. "He was there for us even while we were dead in our sins." In addition to the main worship programs, breakout sessions covered relevant topics such as dating in today's culture, how to consume media as a Christian, and growing closer to God in worship. "It's really a great experience," says Pablo Castellanos, a youth from West Wilmington (Del.) church. "There's a lot of new people and you get to learn from everyone."